Survey shows classes with no teachers

Press, 3 December 1987, Page 22

Survey shows classes with no teachers

PA Wellington Thousands of times this year, primary classes with absent teachers have had no relievers to teach them, a partly completed Educational Institute survey indicates. The institute, which represents primary teachers, is surveying all 2350 primary schools and has survey results back from 800.

The institute’s acting national secretary, Mr Alan McKenzie, said a poor picture was emerging. The survey results from those 800 schools found that there were 1784 times this year that teachers were absent and there were no relievers available.

Mr McKenzie said if these schools were indicative of the rest then it meant there were 5000 occasions this year where teachers were absent and classes had no teachers.

Other results from those schools were that the number of permanent teaching positions that could not be filled and had to be readvertised was 274.

The survey also found that up to October there were 1513 relievers employed in those 800 schools.

Mr McKenzie said if those results were also indicative of the rest of primary schools it would mean 4000 teaching positions were being filled by relieving staff and there was difficulty filling 850 permanent teaching jobs. The relieving-teacher situation was almost at breaking point, he said, and unless the Government moved to ensure

employent for relievers very serious staffing difficulties would be experienced next year. The institute wanted the Government to set up permanent relief pools made up of at least 600 teachers, he said. The teachers could be used to take classes whose teachers were doing inservice training, classes with teachers absent through illness, help in schools with special needs or to hold positions kept for teachers college graduates. This way relief teachers could be guaranteed employment till permanent jobs were available, Mr McKenzie said. It would also mean that relief teachers could give an undertaking to serve a whole year rather than the current situation where they were finding more secure alternative employment Without a more permanent arrangement for relievers primary schools could again find themselves having to send children home because there were no teachers to teach them, Mr McKenzie said. This year, two Wellington area primary schools sent classes home with the permission of the Wellington Education

Board and a third took the action without board permission because of a lack of relievers. The board asked the Education Department if it could set up a permanent relief pool and the general manager. Mr John Lelllott, said the department’s response would be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday next week.